To "B" or Not to "B": The 30th Anniversary of "Matinee"

by Michael Lyons

Ah, the B movie.  Somewhat dismissed in its day, and truly beloved now.  It's the rose-colored glow of nostalgia, and that's what the movie Matinee is all about.

A film that came and went on its initial release, this film lovingly remembers an innocent time in filmmaking, set against a not-so-innocent time in history, and celebrates its 30th anniversary this month.

Matinee is set in 1962 in Key West, Florida, where fears of the Cuban Missle Crisis have the residents on edge, a William Castle-like film producer and husker, Lawrence Woolsey (John Goodman), decides to choose the theater there for the premiere of his latest, exploitation, shlock horror film, Mant, about a man who is transformed into an ant after a nuclear explosion. 

Gene (Simon Fenton), an adolescent who lives in the town, is a huge movie fan and is incredibly excited about this. He even talks his way into helping Woolsey set up the theater, with buzzers in the seats and a costumed Mant that will run through the aisles.

Playing alongside this are all the real-world concerns of the time - Gene is worried about his father, who is in the Navy, and there are news reports about the threat of nuclear war. There's also a coming-of-age love story subplot involving Gene's friend, Stan (Omri Katz), and Sherry (Kellie Martin), the prettiest girl in school.

At the helm for Matinee is director Joe Dante, the perfect choice to bring this story to the screen, as his love for B movies and movies, in general, can be seen in all of his films, from his cult favorites like The Howling to his beloved blockbuster, Gremlins.

Released on January 29, 1993, Matinee, sadly, in the past three decades, has faded in many moviegoers' memories, and its anniversary should spark a revisit.

It's all about a love of movies, from both the audience's and the filmmaker's perspective; how movies can so fondly bring us back to a time and place; and, as they still do today, show us how movies are our escapist refuge in a sometimes crazy world.

It may be about "B" movies, but Matinee ranks an "A."

 

Visit my web site Words From Lyons for more of my articles and podcasts!

My book Drawn to Greatness: Disney's Animation Renaissance is available at Amazon, and personalized and signed copies are available at Words From Lyons !

 

Get a Fresh (and Funny) Start: New Year's Resolution Support From Classic TV Sitcoms

  

Jennifer Aniston in the Friends episode, "The One

With All the Resolutions."

 

 

by Michael Lyons

 

No!  Wait!  Don't give up yet!  It's only mid-January.  It's still too early to toss aside those New Year's Resolutions.

It's never easy, but every journey starts with a first step, or maybe, in this case, a funny step.  To help with inspiration, here are some episodes of classic TV sitcoms that pair well with some of the most popular New Year's resolutions.

 Resolution: Lose Weight. I Love Lucy, "The Diet." Original airdate: October 29, 1951.

Lucy (Lucille Ball), always wanting to desperately be in Ricky's (Desi Arnaz) show at the club, attempts to lose weight.  The only problem?  She has five days to lose twelve pounds.

What follows are moments like Lucy running laps around the apartment, demonstrating why Lucille Ball is one of the most brilliant comedians to grace any screen.  Out of desperation, Lucy rents a sweatbox, which allows her to lose weight and perform in the show. But she stays in the sweatbox too long and emerges weak, having to be taken away from the show on a stretcher.

After this comes a last sight gag that's so unexpected, it shows why we will always love Lucy.

 

Resolution: Save More Money. The Honeymooners, "The  $99,000 Answer." Original airdate: January 28, 1956.

Ralph (Jackie Gleason) gets the chance to be on a game show, The  $99,000 Answer, where he has to answer a series of questions to earn money to get to the titular grand prize continuously.

Alice (Audrey Meadows) begs Ralph to get the first few questions correct and walk away.  But, always with his big dreams, Ralph balks at this; as he practices with Norton (Art Carney), he is determined to go to the $99,000 answer.

His final appearance on the game show and the first question he is asked are still one of this sitcom's most famous moments (and you will never listen to "Suwanee River" the same way again).

Resolution: Exercise. The Odd Couple, "The Odd Decathlon." Original airdate: September 28, 1973.

After a heated discussion about health insurance, Felix (Tony Randall) and Oscar (Jack Klugman) compete to see who is in better shape.  It all culminates with Felix getting Oscar to compete in a decathlon, where they go head-to-head in multiple athletic events, one after the other.

Does Oscar try to cheat?  He does, indeed, with hysterical moments of physical comedy from both stars during the show's finale.

 Resolution: Spend More Time With Friends. Friends, "The One with all the Resolutions." Original airdate: January 7, 1999.

In this episode, centering on the New Year, each one of the friends makes resolutions with one another.  Rachel (Jennifer Aniston) vows not to gossip, Chandler (Mathew Perry) says he won't make jokes, Monica (Courteney Cox) promises to take more pictures, Joey (Matt LeBlanc) wants to learn how to play the guitar, with help from Phoebe (Lisa Kudrow) and Ross (David Schwimmer) resolves to do one new thing a day.

One of these "new things" involves him purchasing a pair of leather pants, which give him trouble while out on a date. Schwimmer's Ross struggling with his new, high-fitting pants provide one of this sitcom's funniest moments (of many) that still provide laughs no matter how many times it's rerun.

 

So, take heart and time to laugh with these episodes about your resolutions.  Just don't laugh them off; there are still eleven more months to go.  You can do it!

 

 

Is your New Year's resolution to read more?  Then, check out my book, Drawn to Greatness: Disney's Animation Renaissance available at Amazon, with signed and personalized copies at Words From Lyons !

For more of my articles and podcasts head over to my website: Words From Lyons !